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Sweetheart Rose Maker Review by Ali

So today I’ve been having fun making
fabric rosebuds with this cute little Sweetheart Rose Maker from
Minerva Crafts!

I chose the smallest size in the set
and it makes very delicate roses which are more like rosebuds. I
think it would be wonderful to have a couple of these rose makers in
different sizes and combine the finished items into a beautiful rose
bouquet!

The packet contains the template and a
winding clip to make the roses, you just need to choose the
fabric, the thread and a needle. I’d recommend a long thin needle
which would save time sewing it up as you could get several stitches
on it in one go and sew a side at a time. There is a comprehensive
instruction sheet, which at the first reading made me think I’d
never manage to follow it and actually make something! However,
once I began to read it and make up the flower at the same time it
became much clearer!

It’s quite fiddly laying out the
fabric onto the pattern templates and cutting round it if, like me,
you choose slippy Organza Fabric and have arthritis!! But persevere because
it’s worth it and it does get easier the more you make!

Once your fabric is on the template you
create the rose by making a series of folds in the template, which
takes up the fabric with it. You sew along the fabric in the
direction of the folds until you have sewn it into a folded up
pentagon shape. This is also quite fiddly and so Clover Wonder Clips come in very handy here to help hold things together. If you don’t
have any I’d recommend buying them at the same time as the
Sweetheart Rose Maker.

The Wonder Clips are also useful for
holding small flimsy pieces of organza together when you’re
layering up different colours or fabrics! Here I decided to layer
two different shades of pink using organza and tulle.

My first rose came out not too bad to
look at from the front, but the underneath and sides are rather
messy. Again the Clover Wonder clips are good for holding the rose
top together while you sew through the sides and middle to secure the
shape.

I think using the same coloured thread
as the fabric would help to keep the roses looking neater and give a
more professional finish. I tried some green embroidered lacey trim
from my stash and I think it made a very pretty flower, as did
layering up different shades of cream, teal and lilac organza and
tulle.

I definitely got neater with the later
ones compared to the first pink one as you can see from the ‘warts
and all’ back view!!

One way of concealing the underneath
part is to use some other fabric, I used green tulle, and wrapped it
around the rosebud to give the suggestion of foliage or to just make
it into a posy.

These rosebuds make pretty decorations
for garments, I think this pale pink one sits beautifully on this
fairy dress. They would look equally attractive on the brim of a
crocheted or knitted hat too.

Once I had a few made I sewed them
onto a piece of linen by sewing one on in an upright position and
then sewing each rose to the next with the thread running through the
middles horizontally until I had a little stand of flowers. It just
needed a couple of bits of tulle round the outside to finish it off
and it made a very delicate table decoration. Imagine a linen table
runner with posies sewn into it at intervals along the table -
wouldn’t it be amazing as wedding decorations?

There are lots of uses for these roses:
adding them as decoration to bags as well as clothes, combining with
natural foliage to make seasonal wreaths, gathered into posies on
christmas table linen. I also think they’d attach very well to the
branches of a Christmas tree and would look stunning in colours to
co-ordinate with your living room! It’s not too early to start
preparing your handmade Christmas or your wedding!